To Melt a Frozen Heart
by lonewolf255
Summary: Hans Westerguard is banished from the Southern Isles and sent to live in an old summer home of the royal family's, almost totally isolated save for a single village. Once there, things get even worse... A witch changes him into a horrific beast, and tells him to learn how to be loving and compassionate... Or else remain a beast forever. Elements from Beauty and the Beast used.
1. Chapter 1

Prince Hans Westerguard of the Southern Isles bit back a snarl as the ship that carried him to the region of his banishment started to rock almost erratically due to the waves. He was accompanied only by a small group of servants, most of which had willingly agreed to travel with him. He remembered with loathing the sentence that his brothers had set upon him following his return to the Southern Isles. Leopold, his eldest brother and the current ruler of the region, had not the heart to sentence his youngest brother to death (unlike some of his brothers who were eager to argue that the offense was worthy of a dishonored hanging). Instead, he sentenced Hans to a lifetime isolated from the Kingdom, a banishment to an old summer home for the family near nothing save a simple village.

Hans recognized that he should probably be grateful that Leopold had spared his life, but he couldn't help but feel bitter anger instead. The look on his face began to betray the anger within, although on the majority of the trip here, he had managed to lock it away under a mask of indifferent composure. One of the servants, a maid by the name of Astrid had been watching him closely and noticed the change of expression. "Something wrong, sir?" she asked with obvious concern, causing the eyes of the rest of the servants to turn toward the Prince.

Hans' scowl deepened at suddenly having such an audience. Then an unhappy, bitter laugh burst forth from his throat as he said "Wrong? Why no, I _enjoy_ the thought of being confined to an empty summer home in the middle of nowhere!" What was the point? There was no longer any reason to conceal his hatred, no reason to keep up his charming façade.

Astrid's head tilted downward at the comment, and she looked truly sorry. "I apologize, milord. I will not question you again." She said softly, obviously pained at his words.

The eldest of the servants (and no doubt the wisest of them all) turned a disapproving look on Hans, unafraid of the young man's position. Leopole was his name, and there was little wonder that the former King and Queen had decided to name their firstborn after the loyal servant. He was the most trusted servant of all, and was not afraid to reprimand any of the young princes as they grew up. Hans was no exception. "Young Master, there is a lesson here that I'm afraid you may have missed. Taking your anger out on Astrid, or anyone else for that matter, will not help you right now." Leopole scolded.

Hans rolled his eyes, although he knew that Leopole was right. The eyes of all the rest of the servants were on him now, but when he looked up coldly to meet their gaze, for the most part they all looked away. Only Leopole continued to meet the young prince's eyes with a kind but firm gaze. Finally Hans turned his back to them all and continued to look out over the expansive waters, wondering just when they would finally arrive on land. He knew it would soon come into view, and not moments later he thought he could just make out the faint lines of a nearing shore.

His suspicions were confirmed when the ship's Captain approached him and said "Nearly there, sir. Just another fifteen minutes and we will be docking onshore." This news did nothing to life Hans' mood, and he merely grunted at the man, a scowl still haunting his features. The Captain turned away then, shaking his head.

Hans didn't care. The Captain's opinion meant nothing to him, and he stood motionless, watching the shoreline drift closer and closer until the ship was finally docked at the tiniest shipyard imaginable. Hans was sure that the ship was at least twice the size of this docking area. He turned his nose up at the men rushing up to greet him. They looked like they were in great need of a shower, and some new clothes.

It was apparent that news of his attempted assassination of the ruler of Arendelle hadn't yet reached this far, because the men in question rushed up to greet their royal guest with excitement. Hans fought up enough strength to feign a charming smile for his welcoming committee. "Thank you for such a… warm reception." He paused to allow the men a chance express their delight at having one of their princes reside near their humble town.

One of the men admitted to being the mayor of Herrington Village; "Or as I like to call it, Fisherman's Paradise!" The man guffawed at his own attempt of a joke. Hans held back the urge to roll his eyes. "Anyway, my dear sir, Mayor Beau Childress, at your service, sir!" With that, the mayor bowed obscenely low to the ground, almost as if to make a mockery of the prince, but Hans knew that there was no malice behind the gesture. An exceeding lack of wit and charm, yes, but definitely no ill will.

Hans turned another charming smile on the men in front of him. "I really hate to impose on you gentlemen, but there is an awful lot of luggage that my servants and I must carry to our new residence. Would you mind… lending a hand?"

Terra Dawson worked tirelessly at catching the last of her father's prize-winning hens that had "mysteriously" escaped from their pen earlier in the morning. She silently cursed the two children that lived on the farm adjacent to their own, knowing that they had been mercilessly pulling pranks on her for a week, a "reckoning" they had declared upon her for scolding them. No doubt they were behind the chicken escape. "Get in there, you!" she huffed as she pushed the hen into the gate and closed it behind. Out of the corner of her eye, she perceived two small figures dashing for the neighbor's farm. "I saw you!" Terra called out to them, irritated. Then with a sigh, she returned to her usual morning chores.

"Terra, hey!" a familiar voice called to her, and when she looked up a smile graced her features.

"James! Am I glad to see you! You won't believe the trouble those little terrors next door cause me this morning!" Terra greeted, keeping her eyes on her daily tasks. For the moment, sweeping up the porch, then maybe a good sweep of the rest of the house, a trip to the barn… But now she was talking to one of the few young people left in town, also a very close friend of hers.

"I'm listening." James replied, crossing his arms as he waited to hear the latest torture inflicted on her.

Terra sighed. "For lack of a better phrase, the chickens flew the coop. The gate door was left wide open this morning, and I've spent hours running around and gathering them up. I just put the last one away when you walked up. And you don't have to look so pleased about it!" she scolded when she noticed that James looked minutely amused at the situation.

"Don't be so hard on them, they're just kids. They'll be out of your hair before you know it. Who knows, maybe they'll leave town eventually too." The look on James' face changed slightly, causing Terra to stop sweeping for a moment and study the expression. It seemed as if he had been waiting for a reaction from her at that last sentence.

It didn't take long for her to figure out what he was thinking. "You're going to leave soon." She said quietly, wishing in that instant that it would be just as easy for her to up and leave. At this point, she couldn't even consider the possibility.

James merely nodded. "Well, I've already been thinking about it for a while. Just, it feels like it's time. I've outgrown this place. I know you've had similar thoughts." Terra set the broom against the house and turned to face him fully. "I wasn't really planning on leaving alone, though."

Feeling the gravity of those words and the meaning behind them, she flushed and picked the broom back up. "Nor should you. It's always better to travel with a friend." She purposely didn't include herself in the thought, hoping he would pick up on that. It seemed that he did, but continued to push for it anyway.

"You're the best friend I've had in this place." He reminded her. When she didn't respond, he dropped the not-so-subtle hints and went for a direct approach. "I never imagined myself leaving without you."

"Sorry, it looks like you're gonna have to. You know why," Terra interrupted before he had a chance to ask. "The usual; family, household duties… the fact that every other young person in town plans to leave, which means I can't."

James countered. "You are not responsible to keeping the town stocked up on youth! If everyone is thinking about leaving, there's a reason for that! Besides, there's also plenty of younger people around here planning to stay. As for helping around the house, your sister is getting to the age where she should be helping out more anyway. Write letters and postcards, keep in touch with your family! But don't make them the excuse for why you don't go."

Terra paused from sweeping again. He had a good point. Several, in fact. But she was far too stubborn to admit it to him. "Why me? If you're ready to make some sappy declaration of love…"

James looked genuinely shocked. "Do you know me? I'm at least two years past that! No, but I'm just saying, we both want out. And there's practically no reason to delay." Terra made a gesture by rubbing her thumb and index finger together as a reminder— no money. James sighed. "I know, there's that, but we can figure it out."

Terra shrugged. "Guess I'm just a little scared about it." She admitted. It was true, there was nothing that she wanted more than to leave this place behind, start somewhere new. Maybe she would never stop. And then there was her sister, who was just turning twelve this month. She would need a role model, someone to look up to, wouldn't she? Terra wondered. Finally, she decided to compromise. There was no promise of a follow through, but she had to try, doubts aside. "Maybe. I don't know. Maybe."

James smiled, a tiny victory for his plan. "Remember, the greatest thing holding us back is our own doubts." He called back as he walked away from her.

"Stop trying to sound so wise!" she called back in a teasing voice. As her friend disappeared from view, she wondered if she should just… Let It Go.

"On my own, on my own…" Terra sang to herself, trying the words out on her tongue. Such a foreign, such a longed for concept! A smile touched her lips, just briefly, before she put the broom away and went into the house. There were always more chores to be done.


	2. Chapter 2

Hans was sitting in a chair in the dining room, sulking as he watched his servants bustling around the miniature castle. There was a lot of cleaning to be done and luggage to be unpacked and put away, so everyone was busy with tidying up their new home… Well, except for Hans, of course.

He stared blankly as one of his servants, Franz, went back and forth from outside into the main entrance, bringing in more luggage with each trip outside. At one point, he caught the prince staring at him, and scowled heavily in his direction. Franz had never liked Hans in the first place (or anyone in that family, for that matter) and seeing him sit around doing nothing while everyone else was working so hard angered the servant. But he still didn't have the courage to confront Hans outright, and so he continued bringing in the luggage, muttering to himself about how lazy and spoiled the prince was.

When Leopole saw that Hans was literally doing nothing, he walked over to the young man and handed him a broom. "Young Master, I believe that it would be beneficial for you to start helping out. It will make the work go faster, and relieve your boredom all at once!" He made it sound like it was optional, but Hans got the feeling that he wasn't being given a choice in the matter.

He tried to get out of it anyway. "As the Prince, I shouldn't be subjected to such menial labor," he protested as he leaned away from the broom.

Leopole merely sighed. Sitting down in the chair next to Hans, he said "Prince Hans, I don't think you're understanding something. You need to realize that when your brother banished you from the Southern Isles, most of us volunteered to come here with you. Otherwise you would have made the journey here alone, or perhaps with fewer servants." He paused briefly to let his words sink in.

Hans turned his eyes down to the dining table in front of him. He hadn't known that everyone _volunteered_ to be here; he'd thought there was some sort of assignment…

Leopole continued gently. "We all care about you, Prince Hans. You've changed so much from when you were young, and you'll continue to change now that you're older. No one stays the same. But you haven't had any positive changes lately. This bitter cynicism, it just isn't good for you,"

Hans grunted indignantly. "Well, what do you want me to do about it? It's just me, that's who I am." He finally lifted his eyes to meet Leopole's, challenging him.

Leopole wasn't intimidated in the slightest. He chuckled slightly and pushed the broom into the young prince's hands. "If you don't like it, try to change it. Hopefully for the better." Leopole stood up again. "Everyone here wants to help you, Prince Hans. Don't you want to show them how much you appreciate that? It's the little things that matter." With that, Leopole returned to his chores, which at the moment consisted of tidying up all of the bedrooms for everyone to get a proper night's sleep tonight.

He had left the choice entirely up to Hans. The young prince stared at the broomstick in his hands, hesitating. For an instant, it almost seemed like he was about to stand and help out after all. But then a shadow passed over his face, as if a darkness had taken hold of his heart and pushed out any grateful feelings. He flipped the broom onto the floor and stormed out of the castle in a tantrum-like state, passing Franz and his older brother Petraus as he exited the building.

Once Hans was out of sight, Franz shook his head and looked at his brother. "What an ungrateful brat. I can't believe I have to call _him_ my Master! I'd rather bow down to a wheel of cheese. You know, I don't think he has even one redeemable quality about him."

Petraus nudged his brother as a warning. "Careful, he's still your superior, and besides it's not fair to say that. Everyone has some good in them," he scolded.

Franz merely shrugged. "Okay, then. Name me at least one good quality that he has. Just one, or even half of one if you can manage it."

Petraus bit his lip. "I'm not playing this with you! Look the prince has… He's had a hard time of it lately, but surely he must have something redeemable about him."

Franz smirked at his brother. "Meaning you can't think of anything either."

Petraus sighed and started heading inside. "We have a lot of cleaning to do right now, Franz. Let's get back to work here." He ignored the triumphant look his brother wore on his face as they filed into the main hall, ready for more cleaning.

Hans wandered into the unkempt garden in the backyard. He remembered briefly back to a time when he was eight. He would sit on one of the patio chairs next to his mother, happily watching a few of the servants tending to the many flowers and the manicured lawn. He had begged his mother to let him help out a little, and finally she had relented, laughing at his enthusiasm.

One of the servants had showed him how to weed the garden that day, while another taught him how to prune the bushes to just the perfect depth. Looking out at the decrepit lawn now, he sighed, the fond memory slipping away. "The garden could definitely use some work, but I don't think we brought any of the gardeners with us…" Hans thought as he wandered along the pathway to the center of the garden, which was heavily shrouded by overgrown trees and untrimmed bushes.

A murky fountain sat in the center of the once grandiose garden. The fountain wasn't working and the still water was topped with algae, though in Hans' mind he remembered the clear waters that used to run through it. Hans sighed. He couldn't leave the garden in this state of disrepair.

Looking around to ensure that he was alone, Hans made his way through the rough terrain in search of the tool shed, hoping he could find some gardening tools within.

Leopole was right; Hans needed a way to show everyone that he appreciated them. But that didn't mean that he would admit aloud that Leopole had been correct. Hans' heart was still gripped by a shadow, one that didn't want to let any light in. Hans found the tool shed and searched within for a trowel. He would work in secret for now.

It was early evening when Terra was finally able to break away and walk to a more populated area of town. She needed to return her father's library books today, and decided that she would search for some books for herself while she was there. But she noticed immediately that there was some sort of commotion amongst the townsfolk. Curious, she went straight for one of the town gossips for information. Usually she steered clear from idle gossip, but when there was this amount of chaos, she knew something big was happening. "Constance, hey! What's with all the fuss?"

Constance spun around in excitement, happy to find someone else to gush over details with. "Oh my gosh, Terra! It's the most exciting news! You remember how the royal family used to make annual trips to their nearby summer home years ago?"

Terra smiled weakly. "Unfortunately, no. I was really young when they used to come around, so I never had the benefit of knowing about it. Wait!" She leaned forward in expectation. "Is the royal family visiting again?"

Constance squealed. "Even better! The youngest son, Prince Hans, is going to be living there now! For who knows how long! Ooh, I wonder, if he's looking for someone special…" A blush colored her powdered cheeks as she contemplated the possibilities.

Terra laughed. "I'm sure he wouldn't be interested in any of us country bumpkins."

Constance drew back. She seemed offended. "And why not? We have some lovely people here!"

Terra didn't have to look around to see the folly of that lie. But she decided to play along with Constance. "Well, I guess if he ever met you, sure. He wouldn't stand a chance."

To Terra's surprise, Constance didn't detect the sarcasm in her voice. She merely laughed in the most loud and obnoxious way possible. "Oh, stop it! Do you really think sooooo?"

She was too busy being loud to hear Terra's honest reply: "No." But something didn't add up in Terra's mind, and she said "Why would he want to move here, though? It seems more like a punishment than anything. Who would choose to live around here?"

Constance was no longer listening, however. She much preferred her own dreaming to reasonableness, and soon found two of her cohorts to laugh with. It didn't bother Terra that she was suddenly being ignored, however; in fact she welcomed the escape. Constance had served her purpose, and Terra had nothing more to say to her anyway.

Besides, right now she had other things to think about. She wasn't concerned about who was coming _into_ the town. She was much more interested in learning how to get _out_ of it, and the sooner the better.

Terra didn't want to be too late getting home, so she quickened her pace to get to the library. She hoped that she could find a good book to read. Maybe the light reading would relax her mind.

Back in the home castle of the Southern Isles, King Leopold sat in his drawing room, shuffling through subject complaints and the overall needs of the Kingdom. He looked up when he heard a servant enter the room, head bowed in respect.

"Prince Nikolaus wishes to speak to you, your majesty," the servant announced.

The King smiled in approval. "Please send him in; thank you Rodin." He started to set aside his papers. Anything was a welcome distraction from them, especially a visit from one of his beloved brothers.

Nikolaus entered seconds later, with his signature grimace on his face. King Leopold laugh internally. Oh, how Niko liked to be dramatic. "Was there something you wanted to talk about, Niko?"

Prince Nikolaus scowled at his older brother for the use of his childhood nickname. Normally, it wouldn't be smart for anyone to scowl at a king, but he knew that his brother would never do anything about it. Leopold's sentimentality was his greatest weakness.

"Yes, King. I would like to discuss your little… your punishment for Hans. It's the talk of the Kingdom. Some people wonder if you were a bit too… lenient on him." Nikolaus tried to keep the disgust out of his voice. It didn't work.

The king seemed more amused than concerned. "Do you share in their sentiment, Nikolaus?"

Nikolaus chose his words carefully. "I try to take all of our subjects into consideration, your Majesty."

Leopold motioned to a nearby chair. "Would you like to sit down while we talk? It's a comfortable chair, Niko, I promise you!" When Nikolaus didn't move for the offer, Leopold frowned. He became more insistent. "Oh come on, Niko. It's just us brothers in here now, it won't kill you to sit down with me, will it?"

Nikolaus moved stiffly for the chair in question and sat. He looked uncomfortable. "I didn't plan on staying long," he paused, trying to be more familiar with his older brother, but it just didn't feel natural. With a sigh, "Leopold. And if we're being completely honest here, I don't think we— um, _you_ were strict enough in Hans' punishment. He tried to kill the ruler of Arendelle. Even worse, he almost succeeded, and he was almost responsible for the death of the princess as well. If they see that his punishment was slight, they may stop being so friendly toward our kingdom. We don't need enemies right now." Nikolaus spoke with more strength as he went on. There was no doubt about it, he was passionate about his kingdom.

Leopold nodded, impressed. He'd always admired Nikolaus' love for his kingdom. "I understand where you're coming from. And believe me, I listen when my subjects cry out to me. But I sent Hans away for a reason. I'm giving him a chance to redemption. He's not a bad kid, Niko."

Nikolaus immediately lashed out, without restraint. "He tried to _kill_ someone, for god's sake! He is not a child, and you can't keep protecting him, Leopold!" Then he came to his senses, realized that he was yelling at his brother, the **king**, and bowed his head. "I'm sorry, my King, I forgot myself."

Nikolaus thought that he had angered the king, but Leopold was not upset. He was happy, because he reasoned in his mind that if Nikolaus could properly raise his voice, that must mean he was starting to feel more comfortable with his brother. Leopold wanted nothing more than a close relationship with each of his brothers. This was a step closer in his mind, not a step back.

"There's no need to apologize," Leopold said softly. "You should be able to speak your mind, especially around me. But try to understand, Nikolaus." He leaned forward to meet his brother's eyes. "He was lonely. He is lonely. But he can change."

Nikolaus almost laughed. He had been given permission to speak his mind, and he was definitely going to use it. "So you send him away to isolation. Yes, he won't be so lonely out there." His face darkened. "I'm sorry, but you're wrong. He wasn't lonely. He had all the charm in the world. He could make anyone like him. That doesn't sound like a lonely person to me. He could have surrounded himself with anyone he wanted. No, brother, he wasn't lonely. He was greedy, selfish. And he needs to be properly punished."

Leopold knew that Nikolaus could never understand. He was never left out of the group. His brothers all gravitated to him, made him their unspoken "leader". He was a natural. That was another thing about Nikolaus that Leopold admired. No matter how much training young Leo had received from his parents, or how much time he spent observing his father, he just didn't have that one thing that made people follow after him.

Leopold turned his icy blue eyes to his brother, a quiet pain resonating in them. "Being surrounded by people doesn't make one any less alone, Nikolaus." No, Nikolaus may never understand. But Leopold did, and he saw the same thing in Hans that he saw in himself. The only difference between the two brothers were their reactions to it.

Nikolaus backed down. He wanted to argue, but felt that he'd pushed his luck enough during this conversation. He stood up and bowed to his brother, all formal and no familiar. "Of course, my King. I apologize if I spoke out of turn." He ignored Leopold's pleading eyes and excused himself from the room. He turned and quickly exited the room.

Leopold sighed. He'd wanted to have a regular chat with one of his brothers for once; they were always so distant with him. But with nothing more to distract him, he returned to his stack of papers. He had a kingdom to run, after all.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was going down when Hans decided to stop with his little "project" for the day. It looked like he'd hardly made a dent in all the garden work that needed to be done; the weeds still claimed most of the garden, and the surrounding bushes branched out in the way of the walkway. But he had managed to clear the first part of the walkway, trimming the bushes at the front of the path, and clearing a small space of grass that had formerly been infested by weeds.

He sighed. "It's a start," he muttered. He wondered briefly if his mom would be proud of him if she could see him now. "No, probably not. How could she be proud of someone as spoiled and pretentious as me?" he thought to himself.

The ruined garden reminded him of his own heart; the weeds were his shadows, his inner demons. There were so many, he wondered if he would ever be free of it all. It seemed hopeless, and thinking that way put the prince in a bad mood again. He heard Leopole calling out to him from the entrance of the castle. He hastily threw the gardening tools into the shed without putting them back in their proper place, then hurried inside.

He passed Franz and Leopole as he headed to the master bedroom to change clothes. Both men observed that he was covered in mud, but each had a different reaction to it. Leopole asked if the young master had been tidying up the garden while Franz sneered something about playing in the mud. Embarrassed, Hans hurried past them without replying to either.

As he got dressed for dinner, he heard a low rumble coming from outside. Looking out the window, he saw storm clouds gathering. Within minutes, it was raining hard outside. Hans sneered at the rain streaking down the window. Of course it would rain. It was going to be tough working in the garden the next day, he was sure of it. He sighed as he thought of how slippery and muddy it would probably be the next day.

When he finally took his place in the dining hall, everyone else had already gathered. It probably should have bothered the young prince that he had to eat with his servants, but actually Hans was used to eating with them; when he had been younger he tried to eat with his servants once each week. No one in his family had ever tried to stop him, either too busy or too indifferent to care. He sat at the head of the table and started eating in silence. Working in the garden all day had made him hungry.

Leopole didn't ask about the garden again, sensing the young master's discomfort, but that didn't stop Astrid from asking questions. The young maid had a strong affection for the prince, and therefore always asked questions that the other servants knew better than to ask. "Master Hans, I heard that you were working in the garden today! Franz said you were covered in mud. How is the garden looking now? I bet it is way better since you're taking care of it! They say the gentlest kind of men can handle a garden well, I wonder if that's true? What do you think?" She rattled on and on about the garden and continually praised Hans to a ridiculous degree.

Hans froze, holding a fork halfway to his mouth but not quite bringing it all the way. He felt his face growing hotter. Even with an ego like his, Hans didn't know how to react to the excessive amount of compliments. Finally, he had heard enough. Leopole was about to interrupt her, but Hans beat him to it. "All I did was pull a few weeds from out back. There's nothing gentle or amazing about that kind of work," Hans snapped in an unpleasant tone of voice.

Astrid's eyes widened in surprise, then dropped immediately to her food. She started eating, quiet save for the tiny sobs that she was trying to hold in. The table was in a quiet uproar then; most of the women reaching to comfort the girl, while Leopole shook his head in disapproval at Hans.

Franz smacked his lips audibly, causing Hans eyes to shoot over to him almost in hate. A staring contest ensued, one that Franz immediately lost, because he had been programmed his entire life to obey the royal family; no matter how much he hated it, he submitted to the prince.

Finally Thomas, one of Hans' personal servants and a childhood friend, chastised the prince. "That's not fair, Hans. Astrid just didn't want your hard work to go unnoticed. Most of us know what that's like." Hans went back to eating his dinner in a worse mood than before. He knew that Thomas was right and that he'd overreacted, but as always he was too stubborn to admit it aloud.

The rest of the dinner continued with an uncomfortable type of silence descending upon the group. After the meal, the maids (consisting of Abigail, Astrid and Madchen) started clearing up the table. Hans saw that Astrid was still sniffling as she cleared her section of the table. He sighed, knowing that he should probably do something to make her feel better. It was in his best interest to keep his servants on his side. Seriously, where had all of his charm disappeared to?

He thought briefly about helping her take the dishes into the kitchen, but decided against it. He wasn't sure if it was his pride or something else entirely, but he just couldn't bring himself to reveal his feelings past his cold exterior.

He decided to just turn in early for the night; he'd clearly done enough to upset everyone, no need to stick around and mess things up further. However, as he was ascending the staircase to the master bedroom, he heard a knock at the door. He waited on the steps and listened in as Leopole answered the door. He heard the elderly servant mutter "Who could that be at this late hour?" before opening the door with his usual charm.

Hans saw past his servant and saw an old woman standing at the door. He could barely make out her words as he watched the scene below, but he though he heard the woman ask if she could stay at the castle for the night. "The rain is making it so hard for me to keep traveling on," the old woman explained in a pitiable voice.

"I understand, madam. Of course you may stay the night, it's dreadful out there. Let me prepare a room for you." Hans watched in horror as Leopole turned as if he was actually going to let that woman stay the night! "This is my family's summer home. I can't just allow any old traveler stay here, this is a place for my family alone," he thought with no compassion in his heart. "She's probably some old hag from that backwater village! There's no way I'm letting anyone like that stay here!"

The darkness in his heart chanted "Kick her out, kick her out!" Hans was only too happy to oblige, and before he knew it he had dashed to the front door, almost knocking poor Leo over in the process!

"Prince Hans!" the elderly servant cried out in surprise, struggling to catch himself. Hans was already at the door, staring down coldly at the old woman.

She looked up with a faint smile. "Oh my, you must be the master of the house! Such a handsome young man, too! Thank you for your kindness, my old bones can't take much more of this weather!"

Hans scowled at the woman in front of him, just the sight filled him with unimaginable hate, adding to his bad mood that started up the moment he reentered the castle. "There's been a mistake. You will not be staying here, these rooms are for me and my servants alone. I will not tolerate anyone else in my home,"

The woman looked startled at such malice. "But surely, sir, you can find it in your heart to let an old woman stay the night. I won't be much trouble, and I will leave right at the break of dawn. You won't even know that I'm here…"

Hans smirked. "Perhaps if you give me something in return, I can let you stay." He heard Leopole cry out in surprise at his young master's harshness, calling out his name in disapproval.

"Oh dear, I'm afraid I don't have much. I can give you this rose from my garden, I grew it myself. Its beauty must surely be worth something!" She pulled out a spectacular looking rose from seemingly out of thin air. Hans paused to admire the flower; he had to admit that he hadn't seen such a beautiful specimen in a long time, remembering back to his childhood when he'd walk along the garden paths with his mother. He shook the memory from his head. This flower wasn't worth enough.

"No, I have flowers of every sort in my own garden, of what use is this to me?" he lied, knowing full well that the garden was far from the beauty that it had once known. "Unless you can come up with more of a payment than that, you cannot stay. Get away from my doorstep. Leave my home and never return here again!"

"But sir, I have nothing else with me. I'm but a poor old woman, seeking shelter from this storm. Please, if you do this one good deed, I'm sure that fortune will smile down on you," It seemed that the woman was trying to guilt him into letting her stay the night. Hans was having none of it, however.

"Leave," he said again, no change in his heart. "Who is this woman to me that I should do this? Who has ever gone out of their way for me that I should do the same for her?" he thought bitterly. How quickly he forgot all of the sacrifices his very own servants had made for him just by coming to that castle!

"I see that there is no persuading you," the woman's voice had miraculously changed; she no longer sounded like the ugly old woman that her figure portrayed. In a flash she was transformed into an image of youth and beauty. Hans was instantly reminded of a goddess. He heard Leopole cry out in surprise behind him. "I know you and your hatred, Prince Hans Westerguard of the Southern Isles! I have never seen such a heartless and cold man as you. You will greatly regret that ice in your heart after I take my leave from this place," the woman declared.

Suddenly Hans felt a tightening in his chest, and the wind was knocked right out of him. He slowly crumpled to the ground as breathing became difficult for him. He realized that this woman was trying to kill him! His vision started to darken when suddenly he saw Leopole jump between himself and the woman, kneeling to the ground in supplication. "Please, madam, I don't know who you are, but do not kill my master! He seems cold and heartless, but he was not always so! I would put down my life for this young man because I know that he has some good left in him, if only he could see it himself. If someone must die for offending you so greatly, take an old man's life instead. I have lived long enough and contributed my share to this world, while Hans still has so much left to understand."

Hans felt his lungs allowing more oxygen to enter, and he gasped gratefully for each new breath that came. He had really believed for a minute that he was dying. The rest of the servants wandered into the main hall after hearing the commotion. Astrid cried out and was by Hans' side in an instant, followed closely behind by Thomas, who knelt down on his other side. Hans looked up and saw that Leopole was still bowing low to the ground, waiting for his own life to end.

The goddess addressed the cold prince then. "The kindness of your servant here has just saved your life. I will not kill you today, young prince, because I see that for some reason your servants stay loyally by your side. But you will not go unpunished for the cruel way that you have acted toward me, and no doubt toward others as well." She snapped her fingers, and Hans doubled over again in pain, feeling his skin crawl and his insides twisting around. He could feel himself changing. He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his hands to his face as the pain continued to travel throughout his body.

He heard his servants gasp and shout at him in fear. "HANS! What are you doing to him?!" Thomas cried out to the goddess in fear, wanting desperately to protect his friend.

The next time Hans opened his eyes, the first thing that he saw was dark brown fur covering his hands, and sharp black claws adorning the space that his nail beds used to occupy. Feeling all along his face, he felt more hair than should have been there, and he even felt a new addition to the rear end of him. Slowly turning his eyes behind him, he saw that he now had a dark brown bushy tail that had ripped through his pants. He was too shocked to scream; besides, some of his servants were already doing so for him.

The goddess waited until everyone stopped screaming and shouting to speak again. "I have turned you into the monster that you are on the inside. How does it feel to finally be free, beast?" Hans roared at her then, the animal within lashing out at its enemy. She merely laughed at his threatening yell. "Beast, I am being kind in sparing your life. I will even give you a chance to reverse the curse." Hans stopped his continuous roar (which had made a few of his servants tremble in fear) to listen to the goddess' deal.

She handed the perfectly preserved rose to Leopole, who had since stood up to check on Hans and make sure that he hadn't been too seriously hurt. "This rose is directly linked to your curse. It is your timeline. While the rose is healthy and has all of its petals, you will have a chance to reverse the curse. The more that time passes, the rose will naturally wilt (though much slower than a regular rose; it's enchanted, after all) and once the rose dies, your chance will be gone forever. If you don't break the curse within that time period, you will remain a beast for the rest of your life. Do you understand, Prince Hans?"

The beast nodded his head weakly. Finally he gathered up enough of his strength to speak, and asked "H-how do I break the curse?" As he asked this, Thomas reached out to grip his shoulder in reassurance. In fact, Thomas, Astrid and Leopole were still loyally by his side, refusing to leave him alone. The rest of the servants were still in the room, but stood further away in fear of their master's new appearance.

The goddess smirked. "It's simple enough. You must melt that frozen heart of yours. If you can find someone to truly love and have him or her love you in return, the curse will be broken."

Astrid interrupted the woman then. "Then the curse should be broken right now, because I love the prince with all my heart! I always have, and I always will!" She spoke with such defiance and firmness, although just an hour before she would never have had the courage to say so. Hans stared at the young woman in surprise. Sure, he'd known that she cared for him, but he never expected her to feel that strongly for him.

A sympathetic look crossed the mystical creature's face. "I'm truly sorry for you, then, because that cannot break the curse now. The person that falls in love with the prince must be someone completely new in his life, so that he can prove that there is still love and light in his heart, and not just darkness. He needs a new start to break the curse, and so your feelings, no matter how strong or real they may be, cannot be enough to change him back."

Astrid looked as if she had just been struck. Thomas saw the look on her face and asked "Well, can't you just take it back then? Or change the conditions of the curse, something?"

The woman shook her head. "There's nothing that I can do now that it has already been cast. It's really out of my hands; the rest is up to him."

Hans had heard enough at this point. "Well, it looks like you've done what you came here to do, now leave!" he growled. The woman opened her mouth like she was about to argue that she hadn't _wanted_ to curse him, that it had been his own actions that led to his own curse, but he wasn't listening anymore. He slammed the door in her face and rushed upstairs with incredible speed.

There was a murmur amongst the servants. Franz was of course the most vocal about the event. "It's about time that spoiled prince got what was coming to him," he was saying. His brother tried to keep him quiet, knowing that everyone else would most likely sympathize with the prince.

"Franz, please! That's not fair to say!" Petraus was saying, but Franz pressed on.

"No, I'm being serious here. I'm so sick of everyone coming to that guy's defense! He treats everyone like dirt, and in my opinion he's gonna get what he deserves!"

Thomas exploded. Not only did he not like Franz, but he always saw Hans as a close friend, and he didn't want people to speak badly of the prince. "Shut up, Franz! You're one to talk, when the only reason you're here is because you got caught stealing from the royal family, and King Leopold was too nice to kill you or kick you into the streets! You especially have no right to talk about Prince Hans!"

"How dare you! You don't even know what really happened-"

"That's enough out of all of you!" Leopole suddenly said in an authoritative voice. He was still holding the goddess' rose in his hand. "Right now, everyone is tired out from all the cleaning and unpacking that was done today. We all saw what happened just now to Prince Hans. It will be up to each individual person to make the decision of whether or not they want to help the prince to break this curse. I for one will be helping him in any way that I can." With that, the elderly servant walked into the kitchen to get some water to preserve the rose for as long as he could.

With an annoyed grunt, Franz left the main hall for his own room, his brother following after him. The older three servants also started heading for their own rooms, leaving Thomas, Madchen and Astrid in the main hall alone.

Thomas turned to the two girls expectantly. "I'm with Leopole. We need to do everything that we can to help Hans break the curse. I'm going to do everything that I can to help him. What about you guys?"

Madchen turned a rosy red and stuttered out nonsense. Astrid was her polar opposite and spoke with absolute confidence. "Of course I'm with you. I'll do whatever it takes to help Hans. Even if I couldn't be the one to help him break the curse, I'll make sure we find someone that can."

Thomas smiled at her. "I'm glad I'm not the only one that wants to help him. Franz is an ass, which we already knew, but still. To say that you're happy about someone getting cursed, that's too much. Anyway, I'm gonna go check on Hans, he must be going through hell right now. I hope I can count on your help too, Madchen!"

Thomas started heading up the stairs to the master bedroom, barely staying to here Madchen stutter out a weak "Okay…" She waited until Thomas was out of earshot before turning to her best friend and tugging on her arm. "How are you able to talk to him with no problem? I always get so tongue-tied…" She sighed, regretful.

Astrid chuckled and put a comforting hand on Madchen's shoulder. "Because he's not the one that I'm in love with. Don't worry, I bet the two of you will have plenty of time to get to know each other now that there aren't so many people around." A sad smile played upon her face. "Be better than I am, Madchen. Tell him how you feel, then you won't have any regrets…"

Madchen frowned at that. "I will eventually. Anyway, don't worry about what that old witch said. I'm sure there's got to be a way around this somehow. Your feelings still matter, Astrid."

Astrid looked at her friend with a disbelieving smile. "Sure they do," she said. "Come on, we should see if Leopole needs help with anything. That rose has to be protected, so let's see where we can put it for now."

It was dark outside now, but Terra couldn't bear to sleep. The new book she'd borrowed from the local library was new, an adventure tale about sailing to faraway places and exploring foreign lands. Instead of helping her relax, it had only agitated Terra's wanderlust even more. Now she couldn't get the image of new shores out of her head. Maybe singing would help? Sometimes it did.

But she just couldn't let go of the distant shores that she saw behind closed eyes, and so she started singing with that subject still in mind. She really couldn't "Let It Go" after all.

**Terra:**

"Staring out at the dim torchlight

Of a quiet town below.

All these doubts flow through me,

'This is all I'll ever know'.

Knowing in my heart that I just want the chance to leave.

Should I stay or go, what do I believe?"

Terra sighed and paused for a minute in indecision. Could she really leave this life behind? She wasn't so sure at first, but the more that she thought on the places that she could be, she could be anywhere right now! Not wanting to let her doubts and fears control her, she gave a firm nod as she made her decision.

"Well, I'm deciding here and now.

I won't let them hold me, pull me down!

Think they can stop this urge to fly?

Just try!

(chorus)

On my own, on my own!

I want it more than you know!

On my own, on my own!

Leave this town behind and go!

There's so much that I want to see!

I will travel on…

Sailing away and feeling free.

I never imagined

That I could get away.

Leave all fear behind me,

And adventure's here to stay!

I wonder what lies just ahead,

Filled with such excitement and not dread.

Always moving, never done…

Just run!

(chorus)

On my own, on my own!

I want it more than you know!

On my own, on my own!

Leave this town behind and go!

There's so much that I want to see!

I will travel on…"

Terra was interrupted by the sound of pattering feet walking into her room. There stood her younger sister Kate, rubbing her eye in a sleepy manner as she looked up questioningly. But Terra's enthusiasm was not to be broken; she smiled brightly at the girl and continued singing.

"Hey sis, I'm leaving soon, I hope that you're not mad!"

Kate smiled happily back, catching her sister's excitement as if it were infectious. The younger girl couldn't help but be supportive of the older sister that she adored so much; in her eyes, Terra could do no wrong.

**Kate:**

"Of course not!"

**Terra: **

"I'm going far away, so my regards to mom and dad!"

**Kate:**

"You've got it."

Terra kept singing, her voice gaining in momentum as she did so; the thought of leaving in favor of adventure and discovery was an electrifying enchantment to her mind.

**Terra: **

"And once I'm out of here, there won't be time to stall!

I'm never gonna stop, I want to see it all!

On my own, on my own!

Where everything is new,

On my own, on my own!

Maybe one day they'll see too.

There's so much that I want to see!

I will travel on!

Sailing away and feeling free."

The song ended finally, and both girls finished dancing and jumping about the room. Both collapsed onto Terra's bed in a fit of uncontrollable giggles. "When do you think you'll go?" Kate asked with wide-eyed innocence, not even considering that Terra leaving might mean that she wouldn't get to see her sister for a very long time.

Before Terra could answer, their mother appeared at the door, looking like she'd just woken up from a deep sleep and wasn't at all happy about it. "Girls, what exactly do you both think you're doing, keeping up such a ruckus this late at night? You should know better than that!" she scolded her children. "All of us have to get up in the morning and take care of the farm, you both know it!"

Kate frowned at being reprimanded by her mother, still at the age that it bothered her to disappoint her parents. Terra noticed that her sister seemed ready to give way to tears, and quickly said "Mom, I'm sorry, I really am. It's my fault, I woke Kate up by accident. I was the one being loud."

Her mother simply sighed, shaking her head. "You should especially know better, Terra. It's not like you to be inconsiderate. You're lucky that I'm the one who woke up instead of your father, he would have been quite cross with the two of you. Well... just try to get some sleep, now girls. Your father doesn't need to hear about this."

Their mother exited the room as both girls mumbled a "Yes, mother," and went back to bed.

Now left in the darkness of Terra's bedroom, the older girl turned to Kate and ran a comforting hand along her soft, wavy hair. "Sorry about that, little one. I didn't mean to get you in trouble. Why don't you get to your room and try to sleep?"

Kate sniffled as she turned her face away, seeming embarrassed. "I… I don't wanna go to bed. The hallway is dark and full of monsters."

Terra raised an eyebrow. "Monsters, huh? They're no match for me. I can walk you to your room if you want."

"They'll get me when you leave."

Then Terra nodded in recognition; she got it. Her sister was still afraid to sleep on her own. She'd been having terrible nightmares lately, so it made sense. "You can sleep in here with me, if you want." Kate nodded silently, so Terra shifted over so that they both fit onto the bed snugly. "What did you dream about last night?" She asked quietly as they both settled into the bed, Kate snuggling closer to her sister innocently.

"…There was a big, bad man that separated us and took you away. He didn't even look like a normal man; he had lots of hair like the Porter's dogs, and long nails and teeth. Then I had to wander the forest looking for the house!" Kate stopped speaking and sniffled again, still afraid of the vivid dream that had been plaguing her for a week.

Terra frowned. "That's the same dream as before, huh? Well don't worry about me, little one. Like I said, there's no beast out there that I can't handle. Besides, if you mean the Adalwulf Forest, that's northeast of the village, and closest to the coastline. If you ever got lost, just use the compass that dad gave you and head in the opposite direction, when the arrow points in between the S and W. You can find the village easily that way." She smiled down at her sister, who seemed to be comforted by this logic. "See? You don't have to be scared. Just try to get some sleep."

Kate did just that. As she felt her eyelids growing heavy, she curled up and mumbled "G'night, Terra, I love you."

Terra chuckled. "Night, love you too." Then she kissed her sister's forehead before settling into a spot on the bed and falling asleep herself. It would be another long day on the farm for them, but she hoped to get away for a few minutes in the afternoon, to plan her little escape from home.

Nikolaus sat across from his twin, Marius, in his private quarters. He hadn't spoken a word since his brother had come in. Marius sighed at the silence, wanting desperately to break it. "Seriously, Niko, just talk to me! I know that being around Leo can put you in a sour mood sometimes, but this is something new entirely! What are you so upset about?"

The older twin rolled his eyes at his brother. Marius didn't understand; he didn't have the knowledge of the politics that commanded their kingdom's rule. He was too kind and optimistic, even a bit naïve; a follower by nature. He didn't have the strength to rule the kingdom, or understand the complex problems that came along with Leopold's decision to keep Hans alive.

"What is there to _not_ be upset about, Marius? Our brothers are making fools of our family, and no one is doing a damn thing about it! We need to take action, and soon." Nikolaus growled at his sibling.

"What kind of action? Niko, I don't think that anyone is trying to make a fool out of us. Hans, he's still young and he made a big mistake. I think that Leo did the right thing in sending him away. Maybe being away from everything will help him realize how lucky he's been, maybe it will change him. Don't you think?" Marius looked at his brother with curious eyes; he really wanted to know what Nikolaus thought. The older twin's opinion meant a lot to him.

Nikolaus merely scoffed at the idea. "Marius, you naïve, small-minded idiot. The intentions don't matter in the end, all that matters is action. You're far too trusting, and that's a problem." He was silent for a minute. "I can't tell you what I'm planning, not yet. It all has to come together first, I have to be _sure_ that… I have the backing of certain people. Once I do tell you, you must swear to keep silent about it."

"I promise, Niko."

"I mean r_eally_ promise, Marius. It's no joking matter. I need to trust you; can I? When the time comes, will you be on my side, no matter what?" Nikolaus looked Marius straight in the eye and waited. He had to be sure of everything before he could go ahead as planned; he needed someone on his side.

Marius didn't hesitate to answer. "I told you already, I promise! Of course I'll be on your side. No matter what. Okay?" A gentle smile settled on his face. "I trust you most of all, Niko. Nothing will ever change that."

The elder brother closed his eyes with a sigh. Poor, naïve Marius. But soon he would understand. Nikolaus acknowledged his brother's blind loyalty to him, he would need it if the plan was to proceed unhindered. "Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to meet up with someone by the name of Broller."

Marius' eyes widened in disbelief. "Broller? You mean KIEVE Broller? Why are you going to see him, he's bad news! Besides, Broller is a _mercenary_, it's against the law to—"

"Marius!" he spoke to the younger twin in a sharp tone, making Marius stop talking instantly. "Trust me. You just said you were on my side, no matter what."

Marius took a deep breath but still agreed immediately. "Yeah, I am Niko. I told you that I am."

"Good. Cover for me if anyone asks where I am. I'll be back soon anyway, I just need to deal with him. It's for the best." Nikolaus assured his brother as he grabbed his cloak and prepared to leave the room.

Marius was left in a silent room, wondering what Nikolaus had meant, about "dealing" with Broller. In fact, that entire conversation was very strange, but he had promised to be on Niko's side no matter what, and he couldn't ever renounce his twin brother, not for anything. He sighed and stood to stand near the window, watching the kingdom below him thriving. Business as usual, or so it seemed from the surface.

Somewhere down there, Marius knew, that Kieve Broller was waiting for his brother. In a dark alley, perhaps. Somewhere down there, Nikolaus was slipping expertly through the busy crowd without being noticed by his people, heading toward that man for reasons unknown.

The younger twin knew that _something_ was wrong here. He wasn't a total idiot like his brothers seemed to think. But even if he knew what was coming, the question was could he really do anything about it? Could he stop it, if he needed to?

"No," he tried to convince himself, shaking his head. "I'm with Niko one-hundred percent… No matter what."


End file.
